Meeting My Namesake
by The Amber Author
Summary: Five-shot. Sometimes, no one can comfort you better than someone whose name you bear. James, Albus, Teddy, Lily, and Fred should know. Chapter 1- James learns that being a trouble-magnet isn't so bad if it made you a Marauder...


_**Meeting My Namesake**_

_**Chapter 1: James Sirius Potter**_

James hurriedly wiped his tears as he heard someone rapping on the door. He had been hugging his chest- he quickly unfolded himself from the embarrassing position and stumbled over to that thick box that was always only at the corner of his room. It was huge, mahogany, and quite enough for him to hide in, being skinny for his age. He knew he had done something wrong- he knew he shouldn't have turned his cousin Hugo's sugar quills into spiders, but he really couldn't help it- he was so very frustrated at not being allowed to ride his dad's Firebolt (he was eight and _three-quarters, _why didn't they think he could handle himself?) that it just...happened. Now Rosie, and his brother Albus, who were very good friends, wouldn't talk to him, and his mother was mad. His father was disappointed. That was why he had locked the door, but he was fairly sure his mother would magic it open if he didn't do it himself soon. The little wooden box in the corner would be a perfect place to hide- James simply wasn't ready to talk to anyone, or to get a telling-off from his mother.

He had never opened that strange box- fact, he was far too fascinated by it and it's beautiful, curly elegant designs that he didn't notice a resigned sigh and foot-steps, meaning who ever had been knocking had given up. He reached out his hand to open it, but before he could touch, it, he heard several clicks, and then one particularly loud one before the box unhinged by itself. James smiled; he loved magic.

Intrigued, James opened the box all the way up- in it, were several black muggle video-tapes like those his aunt Hermione used to use- they were thick, black, had two wheel-shaped holes and thick white strings attached to them in what James thought was a bizarre manner. James remembered his dad telling Aunt Hermione those were out-dated, but she had firmly told him she thought they were better and more traditional-feeling than DC's (or was it CD's?) for recording Christmas tapes.

The tapes had several strange labels on them, too. There was one that said 'MARAUDER- EP 1.' and another that said 'BEST PRANKS ON SNIVELLUS'. The words were faded out from that one, and the tape looked as though someone had sabotaged it on purpose. James wondered why anyone would do that. He shuffled through more, tapes, until he found one that read 'GUIDE TO BEING A MARAUDER- BY PADFOOT AND PRONGS'. James was deeply intrigued...Who were Padfoot and Prongs, and what was a marauder? He wondered if he could ask Aunt Hermione about it, then quickly dismissed the idea when he remembered she was angry at him. Besides, he somehow felt strangely possessive of those tapes- he didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else. He curiously turned the tapes over, forgetting his former sadness. On the back, and in much neater script, were the words- 'Insert into the holo-player. That's the blue rectangular thing with a tape-sized hole in it, by the way. -R.J.L (A.K.A, Moony)'. James checked all the other tapes, and sure enough, the same instructions were on the back of all of them. Once he unconsciously reached the bottom of the mysterious mahogany box, he found the holo-player- it was a baby-blue device with a smooth surface and rectangular shape. It was hollow, though, and it had a square-shaped hole which was just enough space to slide a tape throw.

James slid 'GUIDE TO BEING A MARAUDER' into it. It slid perfectly into place. The little holo-play shook a little, shivering on the floor, until it finally fell still. James nearly yelped- a huge holographic screen screen appeared. He clutched his heart in shock, his eyes wide. He scrambled closer to the screen, however cautiously- he wanted to find out what this strange thing was.

In the screen, two young boys- they may have been thirteen or fourteen, he couldn't tell, were staring back at James. One of them hazel eyes with flecks of gold in them, making them a perfectly toned amber. The other had mischievous, dark blue eyes and a wild smirk- both boys had mid-night black hair.

"Welcome, to the kids of the future!" The blue-eyed one said dramatically, waving his hand at the background- they appeared to be in grassy grounds, by a lake. He thought he glimpsed a lone figure somewhere away, reading a book, but he wasn't too sure.

"I, am Sir Padfoot, and this is my dear partner in crime, Master Prongs." the same boy said smugly. The one with amber eyes- Prongs, laughed at this, and settled in a more comfortable position.

"Our assistant, Moon-" Prongs started, but was interrupted by the boy in the corner yelling something that suspiciously sounded like, "I heard that!"

Padfoot and Prongs only laughed harder.

"So, Padfoot and I are going to bestow our knowledge to you, kids in the future." Prongs said, putting an arm around Padfoot as they both shared identical grins. James was really beginning to like them.

"To be a Marauder," Padfoot started, looking solemn. "You must understand that we Marauders never look for trouble...well, most of the time. Instead, trouble comes looking for _us!"_ Padfoot completely, looking extremely proud. Prongs nodded in approval.

"Trouble comes looking for you?" James asked curiously. "How's that possible?"

As if sensing his curiosity, Prongs spoke up next.

"Yeah, it really does!" he exclaimed. "It just happens- but that's a good thing, if you attract trouble, then you may be Marauder material!"

"Do I attract trouble?" James wondered silently.

"Yeah, so don't feel bad if you're out-casted." Padfoot said, looking sad for a moment. Prongs frowned and tightened his grip around Padfoot's shoulder.

"Sirius is right- Marauders are different from everyone else. We're _special, _we don't just listen to teachers and follow the rules- we _prank, _we _rebel, _we live up to our names!" Prongs said.

"Sirius?" James said, confused. That was his name too.

Padfoot's- _Sirius's- _face broke into a wide grin. "Well said, James, my friend!" he congratulated.

"James?!" James said. "You two are-"

"We, are Marauders." James Potter the first interrupted furiously. "And you, exotic bloke or bird from the future, can be one too."

"I-I can?" James whispered, his eyes widening in surprise as he stared at his two namesakes as kids for the first time. All the pictures of them where of their adulthood- his grandfather and mother's wedding, their graduation, and many others. But this- this was them as _children, _not so much older than James, even.

Sirius nodded in mock-firm as if sensing James' question.

"The only rule to be a Marauder, is to _want _to be one. Well, unless you're Snively's descendants, that would be an exception."

"I'm not Sni-Swiniv- Snivbelly's descendant." James siad, feeling pride creep into his chest. "I'm yours!"

"If not,"James the first said, "then consider yourself an honorary Marauder. Make us proud, exotic future bloke!"

"Or bird." Sirius piped up before the two of them broke into uncontained laughter. The holographic screen disappeared, and James had never felt more optimistic in his life. He heard someone rapping on the door again.

"Young man, get out of there now!" his mother said, sounding less cross, but firm all the same.

"Coming, mum!" James said, surprising even himself. But Marauders were brave- Marauders didn't fear the consequences of their actions. He hurriedly stuffed the tapes and the holo-play back into the huge, mahogany box with a smile still on his face.

After he had cleaned up, James stood up, ready to meet his punished.

Marauders didn't feel ashamed of their pranks- after all, Hugo wasn't hurt, was he? And Marauders were special, and trouble magnets. James was a Marauder, and he was going to make his namesakes proud.

**Thank you for reading! See, I always felt really bad about all the 'Meeting-Namesakes' fics being revolved around Albus, so I decided to honor each of the next gen characters named after dead people. Meaning: Teddy, Albus, Lily, and **_**maybe **_**Fred, I just need to get a little creative with them each. Thank you, again, for reading.**

**Next Chapter: Teddy Remus Lupin.**


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